Blogs

It hasn’t made the local papers yet, but the Portland metro area is leading in yet another international trend: a decline in driving.  The Toronto Globe and Mail calls it “peak car”—the fact that in developed economies around the world, the decades-long pattern of people driving more each year has stopped.  In fact, in the United States, the Globe and Mail story reported,“the distance driven by Americans per capita each year flatlined at the turn of

We know that building a more sustainable region means maintaining our focus on the three Es: a prosperous economy, a healthy environment, and an equitable allocation of community resources and opportunity.  Metro has taken a big step toward the first of these by forging an alliance with the Port of Portland and private sector business advocates to increase the supply of “shovel ready” industrial sites in the region.  Now we need to ensure that the environment and equity remain front and center in this effort to aid job growth.

My three-year-old grandson asked me to read the funny pages to him this morning, as he often does. His favorites include “Peanuts,” and today that meant explaining to him,
somehow, who Willie and Joe were—and by extension, what a veteran is and what a
soldier is.

Last week Metro added 2000 acres to our region’s urban growth boundary.  That decision reminded me of another number: $40 billion.

That’s the rough estimate of the total cost faced by our region’s service providers to maintain, replace and improve our community’s sewer, water, transportation, school, park and other infrastructure over the next 25 years.  Government officials think they may be able to raise about half that much from known revenue sources in the years ahead.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Today, I’m withdrawing my application for appointment to the vacant District 6 position on the Metro Council.  Last Wednesday, Governor Barbara Roberts filed her application for that seat, and graciously called me immediately to give me the news.

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, Metro Councilor Robert Liberty announced that he has accepted the position of Executive Director of the University of Oregon’s Sustainable Cities Initiative.  He will be the first person to hold the position.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

The long, painstaking vote count is done, and ten days after the election the result is finally clear.  The region’s voters have chosen a new leader to help us move toward a more prosperous and livable future. 

I’ve called Tom Hughes to congratulate him on his victory. Tom conducted an effective and principled campaign that focused on the important issues facing our region.  I’m confident he will be a strong and capable leader as Metro Council President.

February 26th, 2010

Yesterday the Metro council approved a package of 28,000 acres of future urban growth boundary expansion areas and 272,000 acres of “rural reserves“ that will be off limits to urban growth boundary expansion for the next fifty years.  What does it all mean?

Exciting news; the Oregon League of Conservation Voters has endorsed my candidacy for Metro president.

I am honored that OLCV has identified me as the one candidate who will best protect the land, water and air quality of our region.

My key environmental goals include:

As we embark on a new year, many of us are assessing the past and planning for the future. I myself have been thinking about what 2010 will bring for perhaps the most significant project planned for our region: the Columbia River Crossing (CRC).

In 2009, the CRC moved closer than ever to becoming reality. But after years of negotiations and compromises, the project has taken a form that would be ecologically and fiscally catastrophic for the region.